The field of the disclosure relates generally to vehicles, and more particularly, to systems and methods for providing a utility with an estimated charge load associated with one or more electric vehicles.
At least some utilities that generate and distribute electricity through an electric grid attempt to balance the electrical demand (load) on the grid throughout the day. Accordingly, some utilities offer time of use (TOU) rates with peak rates and off-peak rates to encourage electricity users to shift their demand for electricity to off-peak hours. Additionally, some utilities utilize demand response (DR) signals to turn off electricity-consuming devices, such as home air conditioning devices, during peak hours.
With continuing sales of electric vehicles, such as battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), the loads associated with such electric vehicles on the electric grid continue to increase. Given that electric vehicles are mobile and vary in their charging characteristics, managing the associated loads on the electric grid may be more difficult than for loads from stationary devices. Accordingly, it would be helpful for electric utilities to have accurate vehicle charge load and time estimations to better balance loads on the electric grid.